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McCain blames President Obama for looming defense cuts

Arizona Senator John McCain says defense cuts that could go into effect on New Year's Day would very seriously impact Arizona’s military installations, as well as its defense industry. KJZZ’s Mark Brodie reports.

MARK BRODIE: The so-called sequestration would result in more than a trillion dollars in spending cuts, unless Congress and President Obama can agree on a new deficit reduction plan. Half of those cuts would come from defense. McCain blames the president for a lack of leadership on this issue.

Arizona Senator John McCain (Photo by Mark Brodie - KJZZ)

JOHN MCCAIN: What needs to happen is for the president to call leaders of Congress on both sides of the aisle over to the White House, and say, ‘Look, we can’t do this to our nation.’ This is what our Secretary of Defense says, his own appointee, that this would devastate national security. That’s what needs to happen. I will take the blame as a Republican, I will blame Democrats, but it does require leadership.

BRODIE: McCain says he supports spending less money on defense and other programs. But, he says, those cuts should not be made with what he calls a “meat axe.”